CMS Health and Wellness

"You can't educate a child who isn't healthy and you can't keep a child healthy who isn't educated."

M. Jocelyn Elders, MD - U.S. Surgeon General

Health and Wellness Staff:

Dianne Finn, RN, serves Cambridge Montessori School as our School Nurse and Wellness Coordinator. Our School Psychologist, Nicole Coman, is on campus Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and available for consultation when not on campus. Dr. Pearl Riney is the supervising physician for CMS, providing consultation and guidance to our school nurse and staff as needed throughout the year. All Cambridge Montessori School staff working directly with children are fully certified in First Aid and CPR through the American Heart Association.

Health services at CMS seek to involve students, families and staff in optimizing the health and wellness of our community.

School Nursing Services for students are provided within the guidelines of the Massachusetts Comprehensive School Health Program and include:

Obtaining health and safety information for each student at the start of each school year

Monitoring compliance with state immunization guidelines

Identification of health care needs and implementation of individualized health care plans for students with health concerns

All required student forms and screening updates are mailed to student homes. All policies are shared with parents through the CMS Parent Handbook. For your convenience, you can find additional copies of forms and our most-viewed policies through the links under this page's "Policies and Forms."

Mental Health Services

While the individual student attention and nurturing environment of CMS helps most students cope with the normal stressors in life, there are times when a child needs more support. Available on site and covered by tuition, students may receive individual counseling with the school psychologist, who is licensed and holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, as well as participate in social skills groups. Parents are also able to consult with the school psychologist regarding any concerns, whether these directly affect their child in school or not. If there seems to be a need for more intensive support for a student, families will receive assistance finding therapists, psychiatrists, and services such as psychological/neuropsychological testing. Emotional/social development is a large emphasis of the curriculum at CMS and we are dedicated to helping every student find a sense of well-being, in school and otherwise.

Wellness Committee:

The purpose of the Cambridge Montessori School Wellness Committee is to ensure that the school is working in partnership with families to maximize the health and well-being of our students, staff, families and community. Our goals for this school year are:

To highlight the health and wellness efforts that already exist within Cambridge Montessori School:

Curriculum stranding for health, wellness and physical education

Review of current formal and informal health and wellness practices

Communication with parents/guardians and the school community about current CMS curriculum and offerings

To explore ways to add to and enhance our current program in the areas of nutrition, physical activity and mental health: